Good-bye "hygge," hello lagom

Has the concept of hygge recently been on your radar? You're not the only one! Hygge, or the Danish idea of “coziness,” can be found in anything from a roaring fire to a favorite pair of cozy socks, and it has long been a vital part of Scandinavian culture. And 2016 was the year in which it moved west and became a full-blown phenomenon.More than 20 books on hygge were published in 2016 in America alone, with more to come. But lagom, the Swedish concept of “not too much, not too little” (a concept foreign and/or distasteful to many of us Americans) may dominate 2017 instead. Lagom translates to “enough, sufficient, adequate, just right.” Unlike hygge, which aims to capture a feeling, lagom is an ethos of moderation—consider the ever-popular Scandinavian design, practical and functional but never overly adorned.